Death Valley OR Bust Nov 27-29

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Bluetribal

Bluetribal

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I have been talking with a couple of guys on the board here about a trip to Death Valley this Thanksgiving weekend. I even brought this up way back in March, or was it May when we had our last SoCal M&G and there was a hand full of you that were intersted at that point.
So the talking is done and it's time to put this plan into action:
The plan is to meet Friday the day after Thanksgiving in the afternoon/evening at Panamint Springs Resort (Panamint Springs Resort - Panamint Springs Home) . This will serve as a base camp for me for the weekend as I have just reserved a room this week for Fri & Sat night. If you too are interested in a room I would contact them via e-mail because I thought I was only going to get a room for Sat night as Friday shows booked-up on the site but they contacted me back and got me a room for both nights. Of course many of you will think that this is no way to spend a weekend in D.V. so there is a camp site right across the street with pleanty of tent sites that you will have time to book.

As for the trails and sights for the rest of the weekend my only goal is to get out to the Race Track (YouTube - Race Track Death Valley).
And I would like to maybe find a trail that arrives to the race track from the West rather than from the East, Scotties Castle on the graded dirt road that everyone else takes. So I will be doing some research on that and talking to some of the Park Rangers over the next couple of days.

I don't want to put a limit on the number of vehicles that can join because IMO the more the merrier. But I do believe that D.V. has a park rule that no more than 7 vehicles can wagon train together so if we get over 8 vehicles we will be splitting up into two groups and that will be determined with beverages in hand around the camp fire Friday night.

Quick Link Info:
Here is the official site for D.V. with all the rules and regulations.
Death Valley N.P. Site: Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

I would recommend getting the one week pass ahead of time online because it is a treck over a steep pass that will work your Cruiser to get to the visitor center and back to camp.
National Park Fee info: Death Valley National Park - Fees & Reservations (U.S. National Park Service)

Or why pay the fee multiple times when you can pay it once for the whole year? Federal Rec. National Pass: America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass

I tried to cover all bases that I could think of so now you need to find the holes in this trip plan and provide suggestions or solutions. :flipoff2:


D.V. OR BUST
 
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If you're going into the racetrack (via Lippincot grade?) you hitting Saline Valley for a good soak too?

Only thing I vaguely remember is that Scotty's is a long way from Panamint Springs.

Unfortunately, Thanksgiving is a big family event or I'd be there...camping at Saline Hot Springs!
 
We are heading to DV and the Racetrack in about a week. Sorry won't be making it Thanksgiving. You should have great weather.

Brent, Saline is a day trip by itself. And if you're going to drive that far you mine as well spend the night there. Scotty's is not that bad compared to Saline. Shoot just going out to the race track and coming back is a 6 hour run at least.

As far as getting to the race track, i'll have full details on coming in from PSR instead of going around the east side (which is way longer) when we get back from our trip. We are camping at the resort. Something to the effect of Saline Valley Rd, and up over Hunter Mtn to drop down to Teakettle Junction. Then we'll loop around to Ubehebe crater and out near Scotty's and back to PSR.
 
SOCALFJ said:
We are heading to DV and the Racetrack in about a week. Sorry won't be making it Thanksgiving. You should have great weather.

Brent, Saline is a day trip by itself. And if you're going to drive that far you mine as well spend the night there. Scotty's is not that bad compared to Saline. Shoot just going out to the race track and coming back is a 6 hour run at least.

As far as getting to the race track, i'll have full details on coming in from PSR instead of going around the east side (which is way longer) when we get back from our trip. We are camping at the resort. Something to the effect of Saline Valley Rd, and up over Hunter Mtn to drop down to Teakettle Junction. Then we'll loop around to Ubehebe crater and out near Scotty's and back to PSR.
Click to expand...

Bastard! :flipoff2:
 
Just FYI, I will be next door to DV in Ridgecrest on Thursday for Thanksgiving with my family back home. I am also considering staying Sunday night in Ridgecrest and heading back Monday instead of battling traffic Sunday evening. So if you can take the time off and not battle traffic I will be in the area too and happy to meet up.
 
I've really been wanting to get out there when the climate is reasonable. I'll put this one on the calendar and see if I can pull it off.

Dan.
 
You've started me thinking. I'll probably take that whole week off, I have vacation that I have to use (or lose!). The weekend would be more difficult than earlier in the week because of traditional family things going on, but I'm still gonna try, maybe re-schedule a few things...

Dan.
 
I will most likely be posting this trip up in the general Trails-Events-Expeditions forum in a couple of weeks to make sure there is a good turnout. But I expect you guys to start signing up for this once Dave gets back with his photos and trip report from this weekend.
 
I would love to go with you to DV, but I already booked the weekend to go to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere.

I'm just bummed I'll be in some rented Jeep Wrangler instead of the Cruiser:mad:
At least I won't have to baby it!

Have fun in DV:D
 
Mark, here's your loop for a day run. It's a blast and it's there's plenty to see.

From Panamint Springs Resort off the 190, head west.
Right(North) on Saline Valley Rd.
Check out Box Car Cabin on your left after the Joshua Tree Forest
Right at split for Hunter Mtn Rd.
Head up the mtn, its a beautiful climb to 7500 feet.
Check out Hunter mtn Cabin at the top of the peak (right handside cattle guard , open gate drive through to the cabin, lock gate behind you when you leave)
head down the mtn to the flats.
Hunter Mtn Rd to Teakettle Junction.
Left at Teakettle Junction to the Racetrack (be prepared for really bad washboard)
Eat lunch at the Racetrack
From the Racetrack take Lippencott Grade down and out to Saline Valley Rd.
Take Saline back up to the "Y" for Hunter and then out to the 190.

We left at 9am and got back to camp around 530pm.

If you choose to go to the Ubehebe Crater then thats going to add another hour or two at least. Fastest way back to PSR is going through Lippencott grade. Make sure you have rigs with drivers that have driven steep rocky cliff trails before :D

If you wanted to do Ubehebe you would go back up from the Racetrack, then proceed past Teakettle for a long ways. You can't miss the crater, then hit pavement and wrap all the way around. You're talking 160 miles for this loop vs. 100 for the other loop give or take.

This is all based off Panamint Springs Resort base camp where's there's nice showers, bathrooms and ice cold Rogue beer on tap :D
 
OK, Dave got the photos up (death-valley-2009) from his trip and I have no problem riding his coat tales and running the same trip as him out to the Race track on Saturday. I will probably hit some trails like Echo Canyon over by Furnace Creek on Friday when I meet up with my buddy coming in from Vegas.
So let me here from you who are at least somewhat interested like the four of you from the O.C. Meet & Greet who were interested. I will be posting this up in the general Trails-Events-Expeditions forum next week.
 
Family's invited themselves down for T-day dinner, I'm a no-go on Friday. Might still try to get out earlier in the week.

Have fun, take pics, I'll enjoy vicariously.

Dan.
 
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